I am not a stamp collector, but I have ended up with albums and boxes full of them. Like most people who inherit a stamp collection, I googled “What do you do with an inherited stamp collection?”. 99% of what I read was totally useless. I thought I’d share what I’ve learned on my journey so far.
This post is a summary of what I learned in case it helps you deal with stamps you’ve inherited. It’s a personal response, based on what I have been told and uncovered. Though what worked for me won’t necessarily be right for you, it might help you decide how to start.
My situation was simple:
- I wanted to ‘dispose’ of the collection because I didn’t / don’t want to leave the puzzle of what to do with the stamps for my kids to deal with, and just put them in the attic.
- I wanted to do justice to my grandfather’s beloved collection, and I knew I couldn’t just hand over the boxes to a dealer without looking first.
- I knew NOTHING about stamp collecting, and didn’t want to learn more than I had to.
- Money wasn’t my main driver. Not that I don’t care about it – but it was more important that the stamps went to someone who would care about them, rather than someone who just saw them as something to trade.
Looking back on this, I was SO naive. Before you start doing anything, be clear in what your goals and boundaries are.
Look / Don’t look
As I said above, I wanted to look. By looking at the collection I got a huge rush of nostalgia, especially from the smells. I actually learned some things about my grandfather that I didn’t know. He was a hobbyist, not an investor. I think he collected mainly for the places he could travel from his kitchen table and the history and art it opened up for him. But I also discovered that he wasn’t as organised as I thought he was, as there was no apparent system, and there were almost no notes or information about what the stamps were!
To be honest, part of me regrets opening it all up – as it feels like, without the expertise, I’ve spent hours / days on something I wasn’t in a position to deal with.
IF you can avoid opening it up, and want to save yourself a LOT of time, – then I’d recommend just taking it to get valued by a dealer. If you can, let them do the work – and just take the money you are offered. You might be ripped off a little, and there might have been some gems amongst the dross, but … you win some/lose some… and… it is the easiest option. Don’t sweat it – just sell it
However, if like me, you can’t do that, and a prepared to put a little time into looking at what you have… then, you’ll need to know the following:
More time / Less Value
Start NOW! However big the collection is, there is no point waiting for it to get easier.
Stamp collecting is (at the moment) a dying past-time. Literally. There are almost no young people collecting for fun. Collectors are mostly older and have been doing it for a long time.
With the number of inherited collections being auctioned, almost everything of interest is readily available online and, as a result, the prices of stamps have dropped.
Even quite rare stamps are being sold cheap, and collectors can be very fussy about condition and provenance.
First day covers – though pretty interesting – are generally of low value.
Don’t think you can work out which are the valuable ones – because often it’s really obscure stuff that makes even the most tatty looking stamp worth loads. Some of the most ‘mint’ stamps are worth sod all!
It takes HUGE knowledge and expertise and TIME to evaluate what’s there.
You can’t just use Google Lens to find out what you have and how much it’s worth.
You can sell them yourself, but the time and cost of postage will probably be greater than the value of most of the stamps.
There is a LOT of trading on ebay, and more than a few sharks.
Collectors tend to specialise and likely have most of what they want.
Apparently lots of inherited collections just get ripped out of the albums and are put in big bags for sorting and shipping around the world.
In other words – you won’t be rich! Most of the cherished collection you’ve been handed is likely worth a tiny fraction of what it would have been worth 30 years ago. Which is particularly hard for me – as if I’d dealt with mine when I’d inherited it – I could have got quite a lot of money for it. It’s likely worth a quarter of the value now.
Unless you want to start collecting, then SELL IT to the nicest philatelist you can find in your area.
Swap and Use
Any British stamps with the just the old Queen on are going to worthless from the end of Jan.
If you have any stamps after decimalisation / 1971 with just the queen’s head, send them in as soon as possible.
HOWEVER, any picture stamps (like Christmas editions, or themed stamps) after 1971 are still valid and worth the amount on the stamp! You can use them – in combination – to add up to 1st Class (95p) or Second Class (68p) – or whack them on a parcel. You’ll need space on the envelope or parcel – so put the stamps on first – and write the address after in any space left. I’ve sent a load of Xmas cards this year using only festive stamps from the past, and neighbours and friends have been using me as a post office for stamps.
You could also make art, or craft using them… or you could always start collecting!
Good luck